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Two pressures are measured for a blood pressure reading 1  : Systolic blood pressure is a measure of blood pressure while the heart is beating. 2  Diastolic pressure is a measure of blood pressure while the heart is relaxed.
Diastolic refers to the moment when the heart muscle is relaxed between contractions. Diastolic blood pressure is the pressure at that moment - the lower of the two blood pressure numbers. (e.g. if the blood pressure is 120/80, the diastolic pressure is 80.) it is the bottom number of a blood pressure reading. it measures the force of blood in the chambers of the heart: the atria and ventricles.